Accidental drowning
Bollywood icon Sridevi died when she drowned in a hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, say police.
DUBAI: Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor, who died in Dubai at the weekend at the age of 54, drowned in her hotel bathtub after passing out, Dubai police said.
“The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bathtub following loss of consciousness,” the Dubai police tweeted yesterday, citing a post-mortem.
Initial reports had cited a heart attack as the cause of her death.
Police have now referred the case to the public prosecutor.
Meanwhile, hundreds of fans gathered outside her Mumbai home hoping to catch a final glimpse of the star before she is cremated at a funeral service expected soon.
Sridevi died late on Saturday in Dubai, where she had been atten- ding her nephew’s wedding.
Her body was due to be flown back to Mumbai yesterday on a charter flight after authorities in the emirate allowed it to be released following a post mortem.
“We want to see her one last time,” 48-year-old Laxmi Subbaramaiah said outside Sridevi’s house in the Andheri area of Mumbai.
“All of my family members are big fans and we cried when we heard the news. We will wait here until her body comes back,” he said.
Vishal More, 23, said he had travelled seven hours from Jalgaon district, around 400km away from Mumbai, to bid farewell to his favourite actress.
“I’ve been waiting all morning to catch a last glimpse of Sridevi. I have watched all of her movies. She is such an inspiration,” he said.
Sridevi’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief in India from fans and fellow actors as well as condolences from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have always been a huge fan of her work. Equally I have been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself,” actor Aamir Khan wrote on Twitter.
Fellow actor Ranveer Singh tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened to hear about the untimely demise of one of Hindi cinema’s greatest superstars”.
Actress Alia Bhatt posted on Twitter: “Nothing makes sense. I have no words ... just completely shocked. RIP Sri Devi. My icon forever. Love you.” — AFP